How to Read Chinese Drama in Chinese: A Language Companion

This book is at once a guided primer on Chinese drama and an innovative textbook. It is a companion volume to How to Read Chinese Drama, designed for Chinese-language learners.

How to Read Chinese Drama in Chinese provides a versatile introduction to iconic scenes from traditional Chinese plays for readers who want to experience Chinese drama in the original language. Each chapter features an excerpt from a well-known play, ranging across political intrigue, military adventure, heroic devotion, romantic passion, and raucous humor. A succinct and informative English-language introduction precedes each scene. Excerpts are accompanied by line-by-line modern Chinese translations; individual words and expressions are annotated in English with modern Chinese equivalent expressions supplied. Dramatic scenes are followed by exercises that deepen language proficiency and knowledge of traditional and modern Chinese culture.

This book can be used as a textbook in the advanced modern Chinese or the classical Chinese classroom, as a companion in a Chinese literature course for advanced learners and native speakers, or as a springboard to deeper engagement with Chinese theater for specialists and interested general readers alike.

Guo Yingde is professor of Chinese language and literature in the Institute of Chinese Language and Literature at Beijing Normal University.

Wenbo Chang is lecturer in Chinese language and literature in the Department of Comparative Literature and Intercultural Studies at the University of Georgia.

Patricia Sieber is associate professor of Chinese literature and director of the Translation and Interpreting program at Ohio State University as well as coeditor of How to Read Chinese Drama: A Guided Anthology (2022).

Xiaohui Zhang (1985-2020) was a PhD candidate in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.